


Maybe Tomorrow (Is a Better Day)

by Raine_Wynd



Series: Better Days [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blow Jobs, Drift Side Effects, First Time, Ghost Drifting, Hand Jobs, Inspired by Music, Kissing, Laughter During Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, PWP, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-01-02
Packaged: 2018-01-07 03:30:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1114964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This day will die tonight and there ain't no exception<br/>We shouldn't wait for nothing to wait for<br/>Love me in this fable, babe, my heart is in your hand<br/>Our time is waiting right outside your door<br/>And maybe tomorrow is a better day" - Poets of the Fall</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe Tomorrow (Is a Better Day)

**Author's Note:**

> I played with the timing between the Double Event and the assault on the Breach, just because I realized the time required to repair both jaegers would take longer (especially if they had to be intact against water intrusion!) than what was shown in the movie.

Having grown up in Shatterdomes, Chuck knew that every one was designed the same, with a few alterations made to adjust to the local landscape. All of them had a hot tub and sauna, with access restricted to only jaeger pilots and medical staff for therapeutic reasons. It’s a luxury Chuck indulges himself in after the disaster in Hong Kong Bay, after making sure his father’s injury was handled, after hearing Stacker’s congratulations to Raleigh and Mako, after he apologizes to Mako in private, sans Raleigh, because Chuck knew he owed her one for the jerk he’d been the last few years, rubbing salt in her wounds about getting to pilot before she did.

Chuck had measured people by their ability to pilot – or lack thereof. He’d been certain Stacker would never let his daughter pilot, Drift compatibility with the has-been or not – but the only other real candidate on the list had been someone who’d been a part of the last jaeger academy class. Chuck knew that his father had argued that two inexperienced jaeger pilots in Gipsy Danger was too risky. If they hadn’t been able to find Raleigh and if Stacker hadn’t been able to convince him to come back, that would’ve been their best shot. Looking back over the battle, Chuck was grateful that scenario hadn’t occurred. He was certain a less experienced pair would’ve failed against Otachi and Leatherback.

As he thought over what had happened, he stripped off his clothes, dumped the lot on the bench by the door, then sank into the hot water of the Jacuzzi, sighing in bliss as he did so and equally aware that his father would feel the feedback loop from their ghost drift. Herc was with the marshal, having taken the barest minimum of painkillers so he’d stay awake and coherent. Six years of copiloting had left the Hansens irrevocably linked; Chuck could feel his father’s pain like a persistent throb under his skin. Though Chuck would never admit it aloud, he’d do anything he could to ease his father’s hurt, as long as it didn’t involve him looking like he was doing so.

Chuck hated that he was being proven right about the kaiju evolving. It meant that he no longer had a jaeger fast enough, weaponized enough, or piloted by the best. To a perfectionist like Chuck, who’d wrapped up his whole identity in being the best ranger, it was a low blow. Adjusting his paradigm to new battle parameters was going to take some time, and hot water and steam went a long way towards helping that. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and Chuck needed to be ready. If the scientists’ predictions were correct, they had at least eight hours before the triple event happened; time enough to soak and get some good sleep in before battle. In the back of his head, he could feel the low hum of his father, undoubtedly discussing strategy to deal with the predicted triple event, and Chuck closed his eyes to let the heat soak through the Drift. It sounded silly if explained to outsiders, but Chuck knew it would work; he’d done it before, countless times, had felt his father’s gratitude for it.

He heard the door to the sauna/hot tub room open. “Mind if I join you?” Raleigh asked. “My arm’s kinda stiff.”

Chuck opened his eyes to see Raleigh had stripped down to a tank top and loose pants, the same clothes he’d worn to fight in the kwoon, and was rubbing his right arm almost unconsciously. “Tub’s big enough for six,” Chuck noted, gesturing in invitation. “Least I can do is share.”

“Thanks.” Raleigh flashed a quick grin and quickly shed his clothes, adding them to the pile on the bench, though in a much neater stack than Chuck had made. 

Belatedly, Chuck averted his gaze, wanting to give Raleigh a measure of respect. Jaeger pilots usually lost their modesty early on in their training; the nature of the neuroelectrical connection of the drivesuit required that only the barest minimum of underwear could be worn. Chuck caught a glimpse of Raleigh’s drivesuit scars as the older pilot slipped into the water.

“Damn. Forgot how good this feels,” Raleigh confessed after a few minutes.

Chuck smiled. “Been a while?”

“Three years,” Raleigh admitted. “Traded a home-cooked meal for an hour in someone’s hot tub.”

“You cook?” Chuck asked, surprised.

“Mom got sick when I was twelve. Yancy and I took turns cooking, doing dishes, and the laundry, because Dad couldn’t keep up with it all and he had to work.” Raleigh’s voice was flat. “The PPDC decided that we couldn’t have a sob story to go with our package, so they pretended that we’d kept right on living the life we’d had before our mom got sick and our dad took off.”

Chuck stared. He’d always wondered about that, given how the PPDC had acted his first year of piloting when it came to marketing and interviews. They’d wanted him to be prettied up and polished, as if the son of Herc Hansen could somehow magically be anything less than a younger, brasher version. “Why’d you go along with the lies?”

Raleigh shrugged. “Didn’t care as long as I got to pilot with my brother. We knew the truth, and so could anyone if they wanted to look hard enough. Some of it came out after Yancy died, but…it felt like they were looking for dirt at that point, as if what happened with my parents was to blame.”

“Those people can stuff it,” Chuck told him firmly. “They don’t know what it takes to pilot a jaeger, how close you become to your copilot.”

Raleigh smiled slightly at that. For several minutes, they sat in comfortable silence.

Chuck started to feel his skin wrinkling, and knew it was time to get out of the hot tub. Still, he felt he needed to say something. “Anything I can do for you?”

Raleigh chuckled. “No.” He paused. “Not unless you’re into end-of-the-world fucks.”

Shocked, Chuck stared at the other man, who grinned sheepishly. “That sounded better in my head than it came out.”

Unable to come up with a reply to that, Chuck continued to stare.

“I’ll take that look as a ‘no’, then,” Raleigh said easily, and got out of the tub. Naked, he walked over to the bin of towels, grabbed one, and started to dry off, flashing bits of skin as he did so.

Unable to help himself, Chuck stared, then abruptly shook himself. The smart thing to do was to stay in the water and pretend the invitation had never been made. The smart thing was to forget he’d ever sat with Mako as a gawky teenager and poured over every jaeger ever made to that point; forget that they’d both agreed Gipsy Danger was their favorite, that they’d both wanted the Beckets for different reasons. The smart thing was to forget that odd bits of memory crept through the Drift when you piloted with someone – often the embarrassing bits. Chuck was smart, but he’d yet to resist the urge to act first, think second. This moment was no different.

Before Raleigh could completely dry off, Chuck was in front of him, grabbing his right arm. “What the hell makes you think I’d go for you?”

Raleigh met his eyes. “Because no one else measured up to your fantasy of me,” he said quietly. “I saw that much in the Drift, with Mako remembering how you two used to compare jaegers and their pilots. And you’ve been eying me like a man who’s been trying real hard not to check me out since I walked in.”

Caught, Chuck could only drop his hand from Raleigh’s arm. “So?” he tried to sneer. “You should be flattered.”

Raleigh laughed. “In a weird way, yes, I am.” He leaned forward and kissed Chuck, startling him into silence. 

The last time Chuck had been kissed was when he was eighteen. He’d been in a bar, and a pretty girl had picked him up, kissed him, and given him a blowjob in the bar bathroom. He’d been all set to give her more when Herc had bust in, ruining the moment; she’d turned out to be a jaeger fly looking to add to her scorecard. Beyond that, Chuck hadn’t had much experience. Hoping that Raleigh wouldn’t notice his lack of experience, Chuck returned Raleigh’s kiss aggressively.

Raleigh pushed back. “Easy,” he told Chuck. “Not a race.” He eyed Chuck in a way that seemed to see right through him. “I take it you haven’t kissed too many people?”

“Some of us were busy killing kaiju,” Chuck shot back, half-embarrassed.

Raleigh grinned. “So you were,” he said easily, and somehow, that gentle acceptance went a long way to easing Chuck’s discomfort. “Just let me lead.” Raleigh leaned in again and kissed him gently, as if they had all the time in the world. 

Standing there, dripping wet, Chuck learned what kissing was: a conversation. Raleigh led him through it as if it was a new language to learn, punctuated by sighs and caresses, and underscored by a rising heat. Chuck had spent years ignoring his desires in favor of tinkering with Striker Eureka or training to be stronger, more physically fit. Now, he let go, and let Raleigh guide him. It was a heady experience, made even sharper by the growing sense that Raleigh genuinely wanted him.

Long kisses later, Chuck knew Raleigh wasn’t going to push him farther than he was willing to go. In the back of his mind, Chuck knew he wasn’t willing to have sex in this room – not for his first time, and especially not with this man. He couldn’t change what was to come, but he knew he couldn’t make Raleigh stay for more than the length of time it took to get them both off – and Chuck wanted more, had always held the fantasy that this particular jaeger pilot would love him. That, more than anything, made him draw back and end their kissing session. “I don’t want regrets, Raleigh,” he said, hating that he had to say it. “Here and now with you would be one.”

Raleigh’s mouth curved in a half-smile. “Best not do anything to make your dad kick my ass,” he agreed, and reached for a second towel. “I’m tempted to dry you off, but I think that would be pushing things.”

Chuck let out a shuddering breath. “Yeah.” He leaned in and stole one more kiss before he took the offered towel and turned his back to Raleigh. “Better get dressed and out of here before both of us do something stupid.”

Raleigh sighed, and Chuck swore he could feel him staring. “Quit checking out my ass and go, Raleigh,” he said, irritated.

“Oh, but it’s a lovely ass,” Raleigh replied, his voice temporarily muffled as he pulled on his tank top. “Can’t wait to get my hands on it and watch you ride my cock.”

Chuck shivered at that image, but he resolutely did not turn around. He heard the clink of Raleigh’s belt buckle as he fastened it, then the sound of bare feet on tile as Raleigh neared the door. 

“Sweet dreams, Chuck,” Raleigh bid, and walked out.

Chuck took in a deep breath, then quickly dried off and put on his own clothes. He wanted to jerk off, and he wanted to do it in the privacy of his room. He had the sense he had maybe fifteen minutes before his father came looking for him, undoubtedly triggered by the ghost Drift or maybe it was just parental radar. Either way, Chuck wasn’t in the mood for questions about what he’d been up to in the Jacuzzi.

Fifteen minutes later, Chuck found himself in front of Raleigh’s door, knocking. If he was going to get in trouble, he reasoned, he wanted a better reason than just kissing. If he was going to die tomorrow – and without his father to pilot with him it seemed inevitable – he wanted to go with no regrets. Looking as though he wasn’t surprised by Chuck’s presence at his door, Raleigh welcomed him inside.

“Changed your mind?” Raleigh asked.

“World’s ending,” Chuck said shortly as he shut the door behind himself. “And I seem to recall you were offering an end-of-the-world fuck.”

Raleigh’s smile widened. “So I was.”

“Offer still open?”

“Not sure,” Raleigh drawled. “Maybe you can kiss me and convince me a little more.”

Chuck took that challenge, and more. It wasn’t long before they were both naked on Raleigh’s bunk, and Chuck was learning just how many ways his body responded to a lover’s touch. Raleigh was a talker in bed, Chuck discovered, and as reassuring as his verbosity was, it struck Chuck as sounding a lot like porn dialogue, which caused him to laugh as soon as the thought zinged through his brain.

“What’s so funny?” Raleigh demanded.

“You sound like a cheesy track from some porn vid,” Chuck told him.

Raleigh grinned wickedly and returned his attention to stroking Chuck’s cock. “I could be worse if you like,” he told Chuck. “Tell you how much I like your big, hard, thick cock.”

A thrill of pleasure shot through Chuck even as he burst out laughing. “Oi, Raleigh, just shut up and suck me.”

That caused Raleigh to grin even wider, but he did as Chuck requested. Chuck had no real reference point beyond porn for Raleigh’s skill, but he definitely liked what Raleigh was doing with his mouth, tongue, and hand. He tried taking notes but the pleasure flooding through him was too much, especially when he propped himself up on his elbows and watched Raleigh work his mouth on Chuck’s cock. With a groan, Chuck climaxed, then groaned again when he realized that Raleigh was swallowing his release.

Raleigh slid up his body and held him through the aftershocks, kissing his collarbone and petting him gently. Belatedly, Chuck realized his lover was still hard. 

“What…what can I do for you?” Chuck asked.

“Told you earlier,” Raleigh said, and Chuck’s eyes widened.

“Won’t that hurt?” Chuck asked. “I mean, you’re built like me.”

Raleigh leered, and Chuck laughed at the deliberate expression. “Thought you liked what you saw,” Raleigh said. “But if you’re not up for that, you can just stroke me.”

Chuck wasn’t too sure he was ready to be fucked, and the look in Raleigh’s eyes said he wouldn’t respect Chuck any less for saying no. “Not tonight,” Chuck said, and reached for Raleigh’s cock. “But I’m not going to give you any cheesy dialogue, if that turns you on.”

Raleigh laughed, a laugh that quickly turned into a groan as Chuck gripped his cock and proceeded to demonstrate that he was a fast learner. Chuck even slid down Raleigh’s body and took a few experimental licks of Raleigh’s cock, wanting to give back some of the pleasure he’d been given. Liking the taste, Chuck put his mouth over the head of Raleigh’s cock, then as much as he felt comfortable, not wanting to gag. Raleigh encouraged him, even directed him at points, and in doing so, spoiled Chuck for any lover who was less verbal. It made Chuck want to drive Raleigh into breathless silence, into that space where no words were possible, and it wasn’t long before he got his wish. A broken “Chuck” warned him that Raleigh’s release was imminent, and Chuck didn’t lift his mouth, wanting the full experience.

The taste of Raleigh’s release was salty and interesting, Chuck decided, but not bad. He’d tasted worse in the mess hall. What really sealed wanting to do it again was the way Raleigh pulled him up afterwards and kissed him as though he’d never get enough. A thrill of pleasure shot through Chuck at Raleigh’s response.

They might not get the tomorrow Chuck wanted, but tonight, the fantasy was real. In the wake of their pleasure, Raleigh held him as Chuck had imagined a good lover would, but he knew the clock was ticking. "Sorry, Raleigh, but my old man's gonna come looking for me if I don't get back."

Raleigh kissed him slowly. “Then sleep well.”

“You too.” Refusing to feel regret for all the things they hadn’t done, Chuck put on his clothes and headed back to his room. As he did so, he silently promised himself he’d come back. The taste of Raleigh he’d gotten wasn’t enough, not by a long shot. 


End file.
